St. Landry democrat., 1887-08-27
Communicated
LIBERTY AND PROHIBITION.

The President, it is aail, takes light
wines, and feels all the better for it.
So do we; and yet our vote ehaIl be
cast for prohibition. 1t is an incouve-
nient reform, but we will endure that.
just as we endure the Inconvenience of
overcOats. That is the price we pay
for the benefits conferred. This price
Is what suppose the opponents OF re-
form mostly object to; and to make it
the more odious. they call it an ahrldg-
ment of personal liberty. or rights. If
they are conscientious in the belief that
prohibition Is an unprecedented Invader
of personal rights. then we respect
them as the Defender of Rights; and
we are willing to do our best to argue
them out OF the error; for we, too,
used to be ardent apostles of liberty;
but we learned better as time led rs
more deeply into the realities of life.
We-and | speak for many-Eravned
that unrestralntd personal liberty was
characteristic of savage life: and that
people living under ii highly SivlliZed
government like ours, are required to
concede many of THEN rights. The
apostles of liberty, now opposing fur
Their concessions, have been too long
silent in the beloved cause. Centuries
ago they were deprived of the rights of
avenging personal injuries. or Of NAL
rylng more than one woman. These
were serious losses. To avenge wrong
is conceded by all nations to be just
and natural; yet how many men are
annually jailed for indulgIng III it'll
If two women are willing To marry the
same man, whose business is it? Who
is injured by it, bat the two women.
and that knowingly +? AS for the chill
dren, their opportunities would he jnSt
as good as those of diunkard'S chill
dren, any way. This is Il shameful de
privaton of rights, and the apostles
of liberty ought 10y all means To con
tend for their restoration. Moreover
the government makes some uni u>titi-
able assumptions of authority over its
citizens There is the authority of
Judges to Issue writs OF injunction,
subpheuas, search warrants; the au-
thority of enforcing service on the jury
aud on public roads; all which en-
croach upon the natural tights of the
individual. The greed of power is in
satiable and it is therefore to he ex-
ppcted that an institution, after having
robbed us of all these rights, should
now strive to take from us rl,e beverage
that moves us, nerves us, gives lis cnur- !
a &c, to beat our wives aud mothers. aud
shoot our friends. Arouse you, On sons
of liberty, and save lis from this dire
calamity What more awful thing
could hefall Us, Oh you heroes with .
faces blooming as the roses of May, and /
breath rednlent of the spirit that
sharpens appetite! Go, you eloquent
ones, YOU cOura geouS ones, you pillars
If state, and tell the people their
danger. Go. halt that man with moles
IN his nose aud eyeldS and his mother .
in laws blood upon his shirt. and tell /
him prohibition threatens. He doubt
less will hear you; for he carries the
marks of son of liberty. Go, preach
10 that dusky crowd throwing craps on
Try goods box they doubtless will be-
come apostles of liberty for they smell
IS though clothed in badger skins
30 into all the slums and hlnthels in
.hiZers in the cause OF liberty; bring
hem before the women, clergymtn,
md clean dressed citizens who ahvo-
cate prohibition and say tn them:
. Oh prnhibitionlsts, poor misguided
men and women, fnmenterS of strife,
declared enemies ct virtue and peace,
ook mon our host how decent, orderly,
md cllaste both in manner aud speech;
compare the faces of our men and wn-
men with those of your party; then
axe counsel among yourselves, fee!
go away. and be silent
orever." -
Turn then to your own party, beloved
MOUTH pieces of BacchuS, and say
: By your appearance only, most noble
ons of liberty, have you put to shame
his insensate crowd. Go now your
,arious ways, battle the earth in the
iuuid fuel of damnation that the
lanes of hell may get an everlasting
odd upon it, and obliterate the last
races of virtue on its Tartarian face.
Never again may this petition go up
rom the UGElen OF another town.
When the sons OF liberty had their way
ERE. we dared not show ourselves on
he streets without protector; hut
low that prohibition prevails, We go
lone wherever We please. i" Never,
yever. But let alcohol roll its fiery
waves like al angry Pnleyethan over
he doomed world--the inHamer of pas
ion. the Lethe of remnrse- until the
ears of women and children shall form
mother Cocytus, as broad as the
MACON, as rapid as Niagla."
G. D. pickles.